Restaurant supply chain: How Paris Baguette became the master

With over 30 years of experience in restaurant procurement and operations, I understand the importance of creating a resilient and reliable restaurant supply chain that covers planning, sourcing, manufacturing, inventory management and delivery of necessary supplies — including perishable items, paper products and equipment — for local operators. A strong restaurant supply chain should also include a support structure for local units to return unnecessary or faulty inventory.

In the restaurant business, the experience of the end-user — the guest — is paramount. Creating this foundation ensures that promises of availability, quality and efficiency can be delivered any time.

Securing your restaurant supply chain

Early detection and proactive problem-solving are crucial to mastering the restaurant supply chain. Paris Baguette

At Paris Baguette, we know that a secure supply chain is built on several key pillars. Carefully planning for distribution needs ahead of time ensures the entire system will have time to adapt, should demand change, without disrupting local operations.

Practically speaking, once the process is planned, it’s imperative to maintain high standards and consistency with packing and transportation. For foodservice brands, this is even more important as some goods will need to be kept refrigerated or even frozen. Consistent rules on food packing, temperature maintenance and storage once the food reaches its final destination maintain food safety and quality during transportation and beyond.

These steps create a secure chain, but it is equally important for the chain to be resilient; it needs to be able to bend without breaking. Many restaurant brands realized the importance of flexibility and preparation during the pandemic and its aftershocks. Despite changes in the cost and availability of goods and cost and speed of freight transportation, local restaurants still needed their items. Early detection and proactive problem-solving are crucial to mastering the restaurant supply chain. While an individual brand cannot change global circumstances, building things like additional lead time and alternate supplier options into the model proactively allows for a quicker, more impactful response should something go wrong.

Future-proofing your restaurant supply chain

Ongoing innovation will drive the long-term success and meaningful improvement of supply chains around the world. In many cases, the innovations that will drive us forward most impactfully will be technology-related, but there is a range of ways modern technology can be applied to the field.

One of the most exciting developments, and something I am considering in my own work, is the integration of radio frequency identification technology. When manufacturers leverage RFID to label each case, the traceability of the supplies is far more accessible. In the case of any food quality or safety concerns, RFID technology would make it incredibly easy to understand where each case has been and identify any weak spots in the supply chain.

The ability to effectively transport the right goods in the right amounts and at the right time is another concern, especially as the frequency of disruptions caused by severe weather increases. Leveraging the often underutilized infrastructure that is already available to us is a great step toward more efficient distribution. Utilizing underused rail systems, for instance, could alleviate road transport pressures, reduce costs and enhance efficiency.

Building a strong restaurant supply chain requires comprehensive planning, significant investment and a commitment to continuous improvement. Embracing these principles positions restaurant leaders to create supply chains that are efficient, robust and prepared to adapt to the circumstances of an ever-changing world.